Chapter 623
Standing Before Love
The two of them remained in such a posture, for Matthias took Heatherâs struggle as playing hard to get. If it werenât for the fact that she had to save Matthiasâ face in front of the others, Heather would have shoved him away directly. She whispered to his ear, âLet go of me.â
Such a movement was extremely suggestive in everyone elseâs eyes, but only Matthias knew that Heather was displeased. Even though he was still a little tipsy, he didnât dare to act so rashly anymore.
Hence, he reluctantly let go of her. This was truly something unbearable, for no one would be willing to let go of the beauty in their arms. However, he was already content with everything that happened today, for he had seen Heatherâs changes with his own eyes.
He was now confident about the future, and he believed he would live until the day Heather personally agreed to go steady with him. By then, the nature of their relationship would gradually become clear.
âIâll be heading back first.â At this moment, Heather naturally had to go back to the Langston Residence âshe couldnât stay all night at Matthiasâ place.
Meanwhile, he was reluctant about it. Furthermore, Evan gave Heather more trouble by asking, âWhere are you going? Why donât you stay with Matthias?â The drunken Evan was unusually overbearing. He wouldnât let Heather leave no matter what, and it seemed as though he would come over and grab her hand the next second.
Heather was both amused and annoyed. This is so troubling! she thought to herself.
Matthias had the same notion, so he didnât make any special efforts to stop Evan. In the meantime, Heather helplessly dodged Evanâs suddenly outstretched hand. She feared that she would instinctively knock Evan to the ground if he kept on fooling around.
âDonât leave. Itâs dangerous for a lady to go home alone at such a late hour,â Evan said.
Upon hearing his words, Heather really felt helpless; Evan didnât even know what he was saying. âStop him, Matthias. Iâll be leaving first.â She decided to leave right away instead of wasting her breath talking to Evan.
Matthias looked at Heather reluctantly from behind as she left in a hurry. When Heather had walked far away from him, Evan patted him on the shoulder. âStop watching, Matthias. Sheâs gone far away.â Evan didnât forget to remind him. After finishing his sentence, he let out a belch.
âShut up.â Matthias couldnât stand how annoying the drunken Evan was. He even wished he could render Evan mute with poison.
However, Evan continued with no fear of death and said, âDonât blame anyone else if you donât try hard, Matthias.â
The look in Matthiasâ eyes became very terrifying, and he wasnât able to calm down unless he tore Evan into shreds. However, the latter still looked unconcerned. Matthias really doubted whether Evan was really drunk, but he couldnât tell what the man was thinking from the look on Evanâs face. âAre you really drunk?â he then asked with a stern expression.
âIâm not drunk, of course. One only throws up if theyâve had too much liquor,â Evan answered disdainfully. Iâm not drunk; Iâm very sober, he thought to himself.
âTake him to the room and let him rest, Mrs. Graham.â Matthias didnât want to continue looking after Evan, so he called the servant who was still working the night shift. Mrs. Graham was a servant with relatively great strength.
However, Evan began to kick up a fuss again, and he refused to obediently follow Mrs. Graham back to his room. âI donât want to sleep. I want to keep on drinking.â
âTell the kitchen to make some hangover soup for him, Mrs. Graham,â Matthias ordered while he prepared to go upstairs. However, Evan clung to him again before he could take the first step. At this moment, Evan was like a ghost who pestered someone with all its might and would never stop until it captured the personâs soul. âShut up and be quiet,â Matthias warned in a stern voice. Iâll never let Evan touch alcohol again, he thought to himself. Since he didnât want to care about Evan anymore, he ran out right awayâHeather probably hadnât gone far at this time. Now that Matthias had finally gotten rid of Evan, he had to send her home safely to put his mind at rest.
The night breeze outside was chilly, and it dispelled Heatherâs tipsiness as she strolled along the path.
It was rare for her to be alone in such a quiet environment, and she narrowed her eyes slightly to enjoy this beautiful moment. Unfortunately, it didnât take long before she saw Matthias catching all the way up to her. She looked at him in puzzlement as she didnât expect him to come after her.
âI must send you home safely, Heather,â said Matthias with unusual determination.
âItâs very convenient for me to go home alone.â Heather was used to going home alone, so she rarely let someone else do so; in fact, she refused to let anyone send her back to the Langston Residence.
âI have to see with my own eyes that youâve reached home safely,â Matthias insisted.
Heather looked at him in vexation. âItâs dangerous for you to send me home at such a late hour. Youâll have to come back alone at night.â
However, Matthias stepped forward and took Heatherâs hand right away. âHow could a man like me be in danger?â
âYouâre even more good-looking than most women, though. Men arenât necessarily safe nowadays,â
Heather argued meaningfully.
âHow many people can get close to me with my fighting skills?â Matthias said in displeasure. What is Heather talking about? Sheâs simply making me feel so helpless, he thought to himself.
âIâm not bad at fighting too,â Heather retorted. After all, she wasnât used to having someone else escort her back. Matthias tried to develop such a routine for Heather in the past, but unfortunately, the latter had been quite uncooperative.
âI hope I can protect you and give you a sense of security,â Matthias said directly.
âWhat if I sayââ Heather replied, but Matthias interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.
âDonât say that you donât need it. You need it when I think you do,â he said in a stoic manner.
Heather could only accept this passively since she couldnât do anything to Matthias at all. After all, she had to slowly get used to what she had been unaccustomed to in the days to come.
When he saw that Heather no longer refuted him anymore, Matthias smiled a bright and hearty smile.
He looked particularly cheerful when he did so, and Heather liked such a smile.
They walked hand in hand as if this path was endless. To Matthiasâs surprise, he felt that the night was unusually tender today, and even the crescent moon looked very beautiful. âSince when did you show up in my life, Heather?â he asked rhetorically.
Heather didnât answer him though. As expected, Matthias continued, âWeâve known each other for so many years, but I couldnât imagine being able to walk side by side with you back then.â
It was a humbling experience to love someone secretly. Now that Matthias finally got what he wished for, he could put the past events behind him as if they were blown away by the wind sweeping against his ears. There was still a long way ahead of them, but he was confident about the future.
Matthias and Heatherâs hands were still clasped when they finally reached the road. He thought it was worthwhile no matter how much effort he put in if they could still be so affectionate toward each other in the future.
There were few cars on the road, and it seemed difficult to hail a taxi back from here. Unfortunately, both Matthias and Heather had drunk alcohol. It was inappropriate for either of them to drive, so they could only wait here until a taxi drove past them. They waited patiently as one private car after another sped past them.
Matthew took off his overcoat and draped it around Heatherâs shoulders directly. âBe careful not to catch a cold.â
The overcoat still carried Matthiasâs warmth, and it warmed not only Heatherâs body but also her heart.
âDonât you feel chilly?â Matthias was only wearing a shirt underneath the overcoat he had taken off, and the sight of it would make one think that he must feel chilly.
âNo, I donât.â Matthias pressed his lips together. In reality, he couldâve let his chauffeur drive them back, but he was willing to wait for a taxi with Heather since he wanted to experience what it was like to live as an ordinary person. Heather had been trying hard to make herself more ordinary by becoming a simple person these days, so waiting for a taxi wasnât a big deal.
As Heather recalled what had happened over these years, she also felt that she had lived a sheltered life. What else could she be if the Langston Family really fell apart one day? Of course, Heatherâs worries were unnecessary. After all, she could easily depend on herself after leaving the Langston Family. On the contrary, it was the other members of the Langston Family who had to worry about their future. She teased and said, âThere will be no worries about tomorrowâs headlines if other people know that weâre waiting for a taxi here in the middle of the night.â
âThat will depend on whether they dare to cover the story.â Matthias had strengthened his control over the media long ago, so he would never let the media report the matters between him and Heather in whatever way they wanted.
âItâs too bad that the person has never revealed himself,â Heather said regretfully. She believed Matthias must be well aware of who the person she spoke of was.
âDonât worry. Weâll reveal his true colors sooner or later,â Matthias replied confidently. In fact, he already had a target in his mind and was only looking for an opportunity to confirm his suspicions.
âWe both know who the person is,â Heather replied meaningfully.
They left the subject at that since none of them wanted to discuss this further. They had to take every step with care right now, and there would be a muddy path that was particularly difficult to tread in the future. They only wished that they wouldnât let go of each other.
The night was beautiful; Heather and Matthias looked up at the crescent moon at the same time. There were still some unsolved problems between them, but many issues couldnât be solved overnight.
Therefore, they were very content with the state they were currently in.
After a long wait, they finally managed to hail a taxi. Matthias pulled the car door open for Heather and said tenderly, âBe careful not to bump your head.â
They got into the taxi one after another, and Matthias sat in the back seat. His eyes were brimming with affection as he and Heather looked at each other, and he just wanted to keep looking at her like this. It took a long drive from the Locke Residence to the Langston Residence, but Matthias wished the taxi could drive even slower as he wanted to stay longer with her.
Time ticked away, and it was already early in the morning before they realized it. Matthias and Heather were a bit sleepy at this moment, but the ride was a bit bumpy. The taxi was unlike their usual luxury cars, so it wasnât that comfortable to travel in.
Heather didnât arrive at the Langston Residence until it was almost 1.00AM. As she stood outside the Langston Residenceâs gate, Matthias looked unblinkingly at her. âHurry up and go back,â she urged him. It was already so late at night, and nobody knew what time it would be when he reached home.
âIâll escort you in.â Matthias wanted to see her off into the house since he was reluctant to part with her at this moment.
This reminded Heather of how Romeo and Juliet were reluctant to bid each other farewell. However, such a childish side of Matthias was really adorable. âDo you want to escort me into my room to put your mind at rest?â she asked teasingly.
âIâd love to do so if you donât mind.â Matthias was only too eager to do so since he had never entered Heatherâs bedroom in such a long time.
âForget it. Itâs bad to do so at such a late hour.â Heather didnât want to run into anyone at night since the Langstons loved gossiping behind peopleâs back.
However, Matthias was still unwilling to go back. Keeping a half-meter distance from Heather, he took a step whenever she took a step, amusing and annoying her at the same time.
âWhy are you acting like a clingy child?â Heather asked in resignation. Since when did Matthias become so childish? This wasnât the man she knew.
âLet me escort you into the living room at the very least.â The imploring look on Matthiasâ face made one unable to turn him down.
âHey!â Heather felt like she was dating someone younger than her.